History Repeats Itself
by mabe
Summary: As Obi Wan spent his seclusion in Tatooine, he found out that history was repeating itself and nothing was really changed: A determined lady trying to change the world, a young man betraying his people, and a Jedi falling passionately in love
1. 1

Hi! This is my third Star Wars fic. From the previous ones, (the one chaptered "On Padme's Death" and"A Story of A Lady"--go check it out, if you feel like it) you will all know by now that my favourite character is Obi Wan Kenobi -- and Padme... So, I try to make another one, with Obi Wan as the main character. Then, here it is...

Your reviews are more than welcome... :D

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1

It was already midnight. The silvery full moon was watching from her fortress and enlightening the scenery down below. The deceitful river mirrored her false beauty, leaving her feeling narcissistic and thus, shimmered her luminosity much and much stronger. And no one should protest. Why should they? She had voluntarily gave what she solely had for the incompetents to be able to see the heartbreaking view lying that night in front of their eyes. Six horse-like graceful beasts lined up before a skilfully carved wooden tomb. Any individual crowding them looked appallingly at it, men took off their hats as they stepped closer to it, as, without a doubt, they understood it was the carriage for the death.

Yet, no helpless body was seen reposing in it. The beautiful lady that was supposedly lying there was still rested in a dimly lit confined chamber near the mausoleum. The last resort for friends and relatives to see, touch, and pray for the corpse before it was confined forever.

A hooded cloaked manly figure squeezed into the chamber. He trotted carefully so as to not disrupt the bundle he carried inside his cloak. The thing he bore lovingly seemed to understand the importance of this event and of not trying to interrupt it by wailing at the top of his lungs; just like babies always did. The baby boy moved not and muttered not, as if he understood, it was his mother's funeral. The man couldn't prevent himself from thinking, he is, indeed, a special boy.

Inside, he wasn't surprised to see the dead lady's parents and older sister still halting beside her body. The father put his hand on the mother's shoulder; tears on both his cheeks. The mother bit her lower lip, hands clutched together into fists. As strong a figure as the daughter. The sister was comforting a teenage girl beside her, probably her daughter. Still, it surprised him to see the petite girl standing next to all of them. Like the father, the girl had wet eyes and cheeks. Unlike the father, though, she was still sobbing. Her sobs were slow and gentle, but they were continuous. Yet, what separated her most from the others was the way she stood there alone, refusing sweet talks from the others. It was as if she wanted to sink in her own grief eternally and would rather be in wherever the dead lady was now in. And when the parents and sister exited, passing the man without even a slight notice, the petite girl was still there; crying, sobbing.

The man walked closer to the dead lady and finally saw what the parents –and the petite girl- had been seeing: The beautiful lady's serene air, the dark brown wavy hair of hers, the twinkling white daisies prettifying it, and the wooden necklace tying her pallid fingers. A gift from someone she loves – or she used to love, for she wasn't living anymore.

The man then decided it was the moment to accomplish the real reason of his visit. He unveiled his cloak slowly to unhide the baby boy; to reveal to him his mother. The boy popped out his wee head and feasted his eyes with the view of the wonderful woman who gave birth to him – and his twin sister. Indeed, he was a very special boy.

Something startled him and forced him to cover the boy once again. It was a voice, coming from the petite girl. The voice startled him, forced him to protect the child, and turned his gaze to the source of the voice. It was when he finally realised the same dark curvy brown hair, the alike lovely features, the similar way she brought herself. It was when he realised that the girl was Pooja, Padme Amidala's niece. She was even as tall as her aunt when he had first met her. And, in truth, she was now as old as the aunt when he had first met her.

The voice coming out of her was trembling and accompanied with broken sobs, "Are you the husband?"

Obi Wan felt his tongue numb. He didn't know how to respond. Should he lie by saying 'Yes'? Should he tell her the truth? But, will it hurt her if he had told her the truth; the truth that he wasn't the husband?

She wronged his silence as a confirmation. And Obi Wan took no action to correct her. Instead, he let her erase her other curiosities by letting her ask one more question,

"Is that my cousin?"

He was glad he didn't have to lie to be able to answer the question this time, "Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Obi Wan."

"You're Obi Wan?" A certain kind of light lingered for a moment in her eyes; the kind of light in one's eyes when one felt one was familiar with another person. "She used to talk about you," she continued, "how she scolded when I mispronounced you as Ben."

A time of silence visited them afterwards; silence they enjoyed for no reason. Obi Wan used it to contemplate whether he should leave when another question startled him, "Do you love her?"

He tried to think, will he lie? Or won't he? Then it occurred to him the right respond, Yes. And so he answered, "Yes." Yes, he loved his friend. His _brother_'s wife. Once more, he sighed a relief sigh for he was glad, he didn't have to lie.

And as though she could read his previous mind, she, after hearing his truthful reply, pleaded, "Stay with me then. She would love to have people loving her beside her."

He felt thrilled for not leaving earlier.

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The ceremony had just ended. And Obi Wan found himself standing beside –and consoling- little Pooja. They were beside Padme's body, now already inside the tomb. They still could see her face for it still left uncovered. He felt the movement of baby Luke inside his robe and before he knew it, he had faced the girl and firmly whispered to her, "Listen, it's going to be a little secret between us,

"Your aunt –and I-," he added, "are not supposed to have this baby. Because I'm a Jedi,

"When you wake up in the morning, everyone's going to tell you a different story, but always remember this as the truth: Jedi exist,

"Will you promise not to tell anyone?"

The girl was too taken aback to say anything, but she still managed to lift up her head before finally, she nodded.

Her nod was weak and unconvincing, and it was treacherous for Obi Wan to let anyone know his existence at this time of day. But somehow, he knew, he trusted her. That's why, smiling, he said to her, "Excellent."

Their conversation was broken when her mother called her name, beckoning her to walk with them behind the tomb. The last chance for them to accompany the woman they loved so dearly. With a last glance to Obi Wan,Pooja ran to them and, taking her mother and sister's hands, she walked away from him. When she didn't look back and her figure slowly started to disappear, Obi Wan knew, it was time for him to leave.

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Since Obi Wan left the funeral that evening, he had pledged to live a life on his own. He had fulfilled his mission on bringing the boy to his uncle and aunt. Since then, even when he never appeared right in front of his eyes, he had never left the boy's side. He watched him grew up from a baby to an infant. And before he knew it, it had been 5 years since he left the funeral that evening.

It had been 5 years since he started living a life fully on his own.

He chose a house far away from any settlement so that no villager would bother to come up and pay a visit. Therefore, it was no wonder when they, perplexed of his obscure conduct, thought of him as odd and hence, crazy. They refused to befriend him; they ran away as he walked closer to them, as if he were some kind of a deadly disease. Not that he would mind. As he repeatedly said to himself, this is the kind of life he chose to live long long time ago.

It had been going on that way for 5 years, and he didn't expect it to change soon after.

He was wrong.

He knew he was wrong when, all of a sudden, the sandy door of his hut was knocked from outside.

He stood there inside. Bewildered. Who can it be? He sensed no evil Force from outside. Perhaps he should open the door. And that was what he did, he opened the door.

What revealed before him stung him to death, he thought time had elapsed backwards and took him 5 years earlier for the person knocking his door outside was…

"Padme?"

It took him another second to remind himself that the woman she named had already died, and it couldn't possibly her this woman he was now staring disbelievingly at. But…

"Why, General Kenobi," said the woman, interfering him from saying his own sentences, "I'm glad to know you haven't forgotten my aunt."

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	2. 2

**Disclaimer:** (I forgot to put it in the first chapter) The only thing that's mine is Marius. This will do for the rest of the chapters…

Before I begin, I would love to thank all the readers and reviewers. anakinzgirl, Gizzi1213, ButterCowLuvr, Kenobifan, Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi, Amberleah, and Phantom'sJediBandieGirl. I also want to thank ButterCowLuvr, again, for reminding me of the other thing I should have done in the last chapter: Telling the background of the story.

Well, it started when I saw this little girl during Padme's funeral in ROTS. I thought she was Padme's little sister, then this fic started to come up. I found out then that there was a deleted scene from AOTC, where Padme took Anakin to her family. So, I searched for the complete script on the internet, and that's when I found out that Padme didn't have a little sister, but a big sister who had two children. The older one is Ryoo (6 years old) and the younger one is Pooja (4 years old). Pooja matches my description of the girl in this fic so much, that I decided that it has to be her who should be my main character.

One more thing… Numbers, or in this case, ages, play a big part in this fic. In every chapter, I will insert some clues about how old Pooja is or Obi Wan is. I leave it to you to interpret it the way you like…

Thank you and enjoy!

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2

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," started Pooja, as Obi Wan, who had healed from his shock, led her to the house and offered her a cup of tea, "of my visit,

"I've been tracking down your trace for the last 6 months."

She sat down while her host whirled around the house with nothing significant to do. She moved on,

"That would be since all my family have passed away."

Her keen explanation startled Obi Wan. He stopped moving and seated himself before her.

"I'm sorry," whispered he, at long last.

A smile lit up her face and she replied, "That's all right. You didn't do anything wrong."

A quiet laugh came out of her before both of them grew silent. She drank her tea to fill the moment, yet it was clear that she still had a few things left unsaid.

"It was very hard, finding you. Many times have I searched high and low and found only disappointments. Lucky for me a farmer I met as soon as I arrived at the planet was familiar with my description of yours,

"Although, he warned me not to stay close to you."

She lowered her head as she finished her words, not knowing exactly how the Jedi would react. When he did react, though, only a sigh was given, "Oh."

Silence overcame them once more; silence that could be misinterpreted as a way to let the guest know, she was not expected and it was better for her to leave sooner than later.

Secretly, Obi Wan fixed his eyes on Pooja. Her head was still held close to her chin. Her eyes blinked at the fluid inside her cup; the tea was cold already. Still, what he discovered there wasn't just this 19-year-old Pooja sitting in front of him, who travelled planets merely to see him; it was also Pooja he met 5 years ago, back at his aunt's funeral. The look he saw then was what he witnessed now. _The look of despair_. The look she gave at times she felt something was taken out of her. And just like 5 years ago, he was suddenly charged with the urge to never let her down.

"Well," he uttered as Pooja, her eyes bigger with surprise, ceased to contemplate on her tea and sighted him with delight.

"Of course, you won't find any Obi Wan Kenobi or General Kenobi here or anywhere around the galaxy,

"Locals know me as Ben Kenobi."

Her cheeks blushed all of a sudden. Her lips formed a smile hearing the name she always deemed as a misspelling. Yes, 5 years ago, when Obi Wan resided in this planet, he knew he had to disguise. He couldn't use his real name. And what was better than 'Ben'?

His words soothed, not only Pooja, but also Obi Wan himself. He felt glad and proud of himself at the same time. The single phrase of 'Ben' now had also opened the door to another conversation.

"But, I still don't understand," asked he, "the reason why you should be looking for me."

Her brows knitted for she felt confused, "Why, can't you guess?" she enquired, "why else would I be here? To be with my remaining family, of course!"

Family? Obi Wan's thought ran wildly and it wasn't long when he remembered the night they first met and how she mistook him as Padme's husband… and Luke's father.

"I… I want to be with my uncle and… Oh, dear! I never asked you his name!"

Obi Wan didn't know what to say or how to start what he wanted to say.

"Luke," he spoke, at last, "Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker?" she laughed the name merrily, "but your name's Kenobi. And Skywalker was the other Jedi, the one protecting her at Naboo years ago!"

Obi Wan replied none, giving way for his words to enter her mind and woke her up. As she digested the newly information, the smile on her face gradually lost. Her jaw dropped and her lips parted to ask, "What?"

"Pooja, I am not your aunt's husband…"

And with that, he revealed all the truth. How Anakin Skywalker used to be his Padawan, how he –in spite of the rules that forbade him- fell in love with Padme and married her, how he had betrayed her and the rest of the world, how he abandoned her to death, how the twins were separated; Obi Wan revealed it all to her.

When he finished, her lips were still opened, her forehead frowned. Then it was her turn to let out a sigh, "Oh."

But then the same smile emerged once more, "Oh," she repeated. She stood up from her chair and Obi Wan, either because he could do nothing else, or just simply wanted to express courtesy, imitated her move.

"No time should be wasted, then," she moved on, "I'm afraid I must leave now. Immediately!"

"Was it something I said?" asked Obi Wan. His voice was filled with remorse.

"Oh, no! Of course not!" she replied hurriedly, but then she stopped. Her eyes were occupied with her inner thoughts and she continued, "well, yes, actually,

"But don't worry, it's just that, I understand now, I can't stay here any longer. It will endanger both of us. Well, three of us, as a matter of fact."

She had made her way to the front door, but Obi Wan's question hindered her, "But are you not sad? Disappointed? Angry?"

"Funnily," answered she, "no."

She was only two steps further, yet Obi Wan had interrupted her pace once again, "Where are you going?"

"Back to Naboo, I guess. The Emperor had, literally, condemned the whole planet, but the people are still struggling,

"I have friends who still believe in the Old Republic, they were thinking of starting a rebellion. A good friend of mine, Marius, is the leader. I can stay with him. Or the others."

"But what are you going to do?"

She felt embarrassed all of a sudden and, smiling, she told him, "I'm writing,

"I never told this to anyone, but I was never like Padme. I was more like my grandfather, the poet,

"I want to be a writer."

She waited for another question, but it never came. So, turning her heels, she headed back to the front door. However, when her walking was delayed once more, it wasn't because of Obi Wan and his never ending questions. Slowly, she walked back to his direction and it was her time to ask.

"I have one favour,

"Do you mind if I come here and visit you every year? I know I haven't much time today, but I would love to see Luke as often as I can. Even when 'often' means 'once in a year'."

Obi Wan let out his own smile when he replied, "You don't even have to ask."

Her contagious laugh echoed again and Obi Wan couldn't help smiling much wider.

"Till we meet again, then," she saluted, "General Kenobi."

"Please," Obi Wan gestured, "it's Ben."

"Till we meet again, Ben," she corrected.

With those last words, she opened the door and paved her way out of the hut and the planet, till the time should come when she would knock the sandy door yet again.

Obi Wan exhaled deeply. Inside his stomach was a feeling of lightness. His heart felt like a feather. It must be the laugh; he hadn't laughed since a decade ago.

"Till we meet again," he greeted back to the dusty air.

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	3. 3

First thing first… Many thanks to all the reviewers: Phantom'sJediBandieGirl (Pooja is not a senator, she wants to be a writer. About how her family's killed, I'll explain it in this chapter. Thanks for caring :D), Jedi X-Man Serena Kenobi, passon, AMBERLEAH, and Kenobifan. Your words mean so much to me. I hope you'll still enjoy reading the next chapters. Don't worry, they won't be many, the chapters. He he!

Without further ado, here is chapter 3. I decided to update it early, since Christmas is coming and holiday is coming and final exams are coming, too! yikes Anyway, do enjoy…

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**3**

Just like she promised, Pooja came to Tatooine again the following year. Obi Wan noticed that she hadn't changed much even when months had passed since her first visit. She dressed the way… Well, the way all artists would dress. A little reckless, yet charming and charismatic in the same way. As she stepped in to the hut, Obi Wan couldn't help but reminiscing how she could take the bad news –the ones about Anakin- really well. He found out now that Pooja was the type of a person who lived solely for arty part of world and cared not for its sinister side; the side filled with politics and war. She did yearn the time when the Empire would fall apart and would do anything to bring it into pieces -just like it had torn apart her home, created famine in the planet, and thus, killed her family and many others-, but she preferred to do it quietly and, of course, artfully.

"I did some research on both of them," she confessed all of a sudden.

When Obi Wan was just eyeing her, for he didn't understand what she meant (she was indeed a writer, not a talker), she proceeded, "Padme. And Anakin. I did some research on them."

"Why?" asked Obi Wan.

"Well, that's a secret," she smiled mysteriously, while sipping the tea from her cup, "it has been a pretty hard trick, doing those researches, but thanks to you, I just pick up where you left of,

"If Anakin was 9 when they first met and they had parted for 10 years, then he must be 19 when they saw each other again. I will be 20 next month. That makes me as old as he was when he fell in love."

Obi Wan didn't understand the purpose of this conversation, or why Pooja should bring it up, but he never stopped listening to her nevertheless. Still, he didn't know what her intentions were when she asked him, "What were her last words?"

"Her words," he answered promptly, "her words were of goodness, because that's what she was,

"'There's still good in him,' she repeatedly said that to me; thus I know, she wanted me to spare his life. Even her last words were of him,

"That's how much your aunt loved."

That year, Pooja stayed there for a week. After she left -of course, after Obi Wan had shown her Luke from the distance-, Obi Wan didn't hear anything about her, but that was only until she came back the next year.

"How's your book?"

Their times were usually spent by… As a matter of fact, nothing. They enjoyed having nothing to say or do but drinking their tea. Yet, once in a while, one of them would spill out a question or statement and a conversation would follow. This time, it was Obi Wan's turn to ask.

"How's your book? You said you wanted to write. I haven't seen any book with your name on it."

"My book is a work in progress," she replied, without even turning her eyes from the paper she was reading.

"Really?" questioned Obi Wan, his eyebrows raised. "What's the story, then?"

"Well, I can't tell you that, can I?"

"No, you can't."

He let his curiosity mingled for the next 2 weeks; that was the length of time Pooja needed to stay at Tatooine that year. Still, it swirled around him for days and days and weeks and months, and before he knew it, another year had passed and Pooja had knocked the door again.

The third year of her annual visit -for it had been three years when Pooja had shocked him by showing up in his humble abode- she spent 3 weeks in Obi Wan's hut. During that time, Obi Wan perceived how her face had brighten more than before. At first, he thought it was because of Luke –both of them had accidentally met in the market a couple of days before-, but then the light stayed on. And she smiled more widely and her eyes sparked more lively. Obi Wan noticed all of this, but never knew the real reason. He kept it in his mind for weeks, then one day, he found the answer.

He was walking in the same market where they had passed Luke, when he felt like going to a stall. It was crowded with a lot of papers; newspapers, probably, some of them were magazines; old and new, and at the corner, were books. He grabbed one of them and smiled abruptly when he read the author's name on the cover, "Pooja Naberrie."

So, he thought, this is why she kept smiling to herself. She knew her book would be published soon. So she made it.

Soon after he reached the hut, he started to open the book. First the cover, then the first page. The dedication note was written there. The first line said: "To Ben."

He smiled to himself, reading the letters. But it was marred a little after he had read the name below his. The second line was read: "To Marius."

He contemplated the name for a moment, so certain he had heard it before. Pooja had once mentioned it, yes, he remembered. The first year of her visit, she said she would stay with him. She said he was her great friend.

The reminiscence disturbed him for a reason he himself couldn't explain. Who is he? What is he to her? But he tried to wash the questions away; he wanted to read. So, slowly he began to turn the next page. Chapter one. Then the next page. Then the next and next and then the last. When he closed back the book, the suns were already set. And for the first time since he perused the title and the author's name, he felt starving. God knows how many hours he had passed to read the book. It seemed to him as interesting as the writer.

He was familiar with the storyline. Actually, it would be absurd if he weren't. The story was about forbidden lovers. A young woman met a man, they fell in love, but they couldn't be together. In the end, the woman died. The plot and the description of the characters were not so much different from the real ones. Only the names; the characters', the planet's, were changed. However, there was something different from this book. The man –who was clearly, the alter ego of Anakin- wasn't becoming evil and a Sith. Instead, he lived on. He fulfilled his promise to his lover; to stay living and tell the rest of the galaxy that true love exists by writing their story. That, however it had been crushed, love would prevail. The message behind it was clear: If you held on to your love, to the memory you loved, you wouldn't let yourself be conquered by anything or anyone. Simply said, you should fight against the Emperor.

He put the book on the table beside him and waited for the day when Pooja would come knocking on his door again. But, apparently, the day wouldn't come. The year changed and Obi Wan was just thinking to himself, how long will Pooja stay now, when a deliveryman appeared before him. He handed Obi Wan the thing inside his coat; a holographic message from Pooja, saying she had to be somewhere else and, to her greatest grief, had to postpone the visit.

Obi Wan completely understood. Her book was a success everywhere. Obviously, the Emperor was too careless to discern the hidden message inside; therefore it was safe for her to promote her work. He couldn't deny, though, that he was a bit disappointed. He had expected to discuss the book together with the writer herself. What's more, he was wondering whether she would prolong her visiting days this year. It was one day at the first year, a week at the second, then 2 weeks, 3 weeks… Who knows? Maybe she would stay for a month this year. But, of course, he wouldn't know.

He erased the anxiety by opening the book once more. It must be his four times. But, wait, isn't last week his fifth time? Oh, he didn't know how many times he had read this book. Too much time had he turned the pages. And without he knew it, time had slipped away and a new year had come.

_Knock knock._

He quickly jumped out of his chair as sudden as the knocking was heard. Hectically, he pulled the door handle. It burst opened and Pooja was behind it.

He swiftly pleaded her to come in, yet, oddly, she refused. Still standing on the doorway, she said, "Let's not come inside,

"Please, come with me."

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	4. 4

Before I begin, it is my obligation to thank the wonderful people who have read and reviewed this story... Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi, Lincoln Six-Echo (Hey, I like your screen name!), and Kenobifan. I hope you'll still keep reading and liking this fic...

As you read this chapter, I want you to swirl back your mindand startreminiscingAttack of the Clones because I'm taking Obi Wan and Pooja to the place where Padme and Anakin first kissed...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

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4

They quickly jumped into Pooja's ship. Through the journey, he could only sit back on his chair beside the pilot's; Pooja's. She said nothing along the way, so he spoke not. The travel turned out to be a short one, and it was less than an hour, but Pooja had already landed the ship comfortably.

When Obi Wan stepped out of the ship, what he saw was one of the most appalling views he had ever seen. Trees crumbling everywhere, swamps, dirty soil, animals' waste… Even the sky above was darker than it was anywhere else.

Said Pooja, "Now Ben, I believe you've been here before. Or at least, you've been to this planet."

Obi Wan didn't know what to say. He was sure he had never been to a place so eerie. He scrutinised his surroundings once more. The thought of something that Pooja told came back to him; something she said about the Emperor ruining her planet.

"This is…," he paused for some moment, not wanting to believe what he himself just found out and half wishing his guess would be wrong.

"Naboo?" he finished the words, finally.

Pooja merely smiled grimly. Obi Wan couldn't believe his own eyes. Where did those green leaves go, he thought. The blue waterfall, the colourful buildings?

"I barely recognise it myself."

She looked to Obi Wan; his jaw dropped and he was still staring at the cruelty before him. She continued, "Do you know where are we exactly?"

"No. No, I don't."

"Lake Country. That's where we are, Lake Country,

"When you told him to protect my aunt, this is where they hid. Where they fell in love, where they got married…,

"At 24."

"As old as you are now."

"Yes,

"During her refuge, my aunt once wrote me a letter, saying she went into hiding here. She told me not to tell it to anyone,

"How she loved this place, she told me once she did want to get married here,

"When I did my research, I went to a priest, and he confirmed my wild guess. They did get married here. He said he remembered it, because their wedding was the only one whose droids as its witness."

She led Obi Wan through the cracking stones to, what seemed to him, stony fences. When they reached the fences, Obi Wan just realised that they were actually standing on some kind of a balcony. Before them, meters below, was the black lake. They rested their weigh on the fences. It looked fragile, yet it was still able to support both of them safely.

"Sometimes, I went here just to write. This place inspired me. I can feel their presence here. I feel them,

"Like, for instance, I know they were here before. She was standing right at where I'm at now. And he was standing where you're standing now,

"They must be talking. I'm not sure about what, but I know that, suddenly, they can help their feelings. They looked one another, and then, they kissed,

"But my aunt pulled away. I know she would. She must be talking about her obligation and work and those nonsense she had to speak about to deny her feeling. She was always like that."

"You seem to know her really well. No wonder you're so detail about that main female character of yours,

"Every time I read your book, I feel like knowing her,

"Beautiful, brave, and generous."

"Not just her. I mean, I know I only met Anakin once, but when I sat down here and started to write, I felt something, like I have known him for a lifetime,

"I know he's made the greatest mistake in his life by turning to the dark side, but to me he's just this ordinary man, the man who has good in him, the man in my book,

"Caring, loving, kind..."

They stopped. Lost for words. They stopped to see at each other's eyes. And at that time, they knew.

At that time, she realised, the gentle look she always imagined to write about the man in her book wasn't the look of Anakin's. That the mild touch she pictured when she wrote wasn't the touch of Anakin's. That the calming voice she heard when she wrote her book wasn't her uncle's.

At the other hand, he realised that the round brown eyes he thought about when he read about the woman in the book wasn't the eyes of Padme's. That the warmth he sensed when he read wasn't the warmth of Padme's. That the courage he knew the woman in the book had wasn't Padme's.

When she looked at him, she realised that the look, the touch, the voice belonged to the man standing next to her.

And when he looked at her, he realised that the eyes, the warmth, the courage belonged to the woman beside him.

At that time, they realised they had fallen in love. And when they had accepted the fact, they kissed.

Their kiss was smooth and long. And when they finally broke apart, he felt a smile forming on his own face. The smile that was completely gone soon after he saw that the same smile in her face slowly vanished.

"We shouldn't've done that. It was wrong. We shouldn't do it!"

"But why? If I had known it would feel this right, I would've come to you long ago."

"You mean you wanted to be like your apprentice? Is that it? You want to be like Anakin, falling in love and betrayed all of us?" Her tears broke off.

"Pooja, I'm different. I know I won't be like him…"

"For goodness's sake! You're a Jedi! You're not supposed to fall in love!"

"Pooja, I love you… I didn't know, but now I do…"

"No, you can't. We cant."

"Pooja, listen to me..."

"I don't want to hear anything!"

"Won't you just listen to me!"

"I'm getting married!"

Silence.

"What?"

"I'm engaged. I'm going to get married in 2 days."

"Is he Marius?"

When she didn't answer, he moved on, "Do you even love him?"

"Does it matter? Look at Padme! She married the man she loved, look what happened to her!"

"Then why did you write! You wrote about love and its power, but here you are! You don't even believe what you wrote!

"Maybe you shouldn't even write! It's useless!

"Your book is useless!"

None of them spoke afterwards. The moon was beginning to emerge when Obi Wan talked, "I'll ride."

He walked fast, leaving Pooja behind. He heard her footsteps tailing his. He waited for her to climb in to the ship and sit, awkwardly, beside him before he launched the buttons and flew the ship.

Just like before, the trip back to Tatooine was filled with silence.

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	5. 5

Finally, chapter 5. I hope you'll still enjoy this chapter. Only one more chapter to go before this fic is finally finished! See, I told you, it won't be a long fic... :D

First thing first... I would love to thank xInuyashaxangelx, Kenobifan, and Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi for all the nice words. Sometimes I think I really don't deserve it. I hope you'll still keep liking this chapter.

Enjoy!

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**5**

With a slight bump, the ship landed on the sands of Tatooine, right in front of Obi Wan's hut. All his anger and depression were still there, but, along the journey, he managed to regain his conscience, and when they had stepped out of the ship, tranquilly, he let her begin,

"I hope you're willing to come…"

"Why?" he asked. And when she didn't respond, probably didn't know how to, he moved on, "Why did you take me there?"

"Because," she answered, slowly, "because, I need… To know."

"Yet when you've known it, you left."

He started walking towards the hut, without even looking back. He shut and locked the doorthen stayed in quietness. When a few minutes had passed and he unveiled the curtainto glimpse outside, the ship and its owner weren't there anymore.

---

White dominated the room. The draperies, the wall, the altar, the long carpet along the isle, the flowers, the seats, were all coloured white. It is the colour of wedding.

Still, the guests were quite reluctant to obey the rule of colour. Some of them dressed like Pooja usually dressed; they must be her artistic friends. Some of them looked as if they had been in underground for too long; they must be _his_. When Obi Wan noticed this, the feeling of being the misfit by wearing his usual all-brown clothes, disappeared all of a sudden.

Obi Wan observed the men and women sitting at right rows; _his_ side. He remembered her story about him; she said he was one of the rebels. Then, his friends must be rebels, too. He walked straight on the isle -the white carpet on it- and turned left; her side. He sat on the second row from the front, but quickly was on his feet again. The bell has rung, the music has been played, the bride has entered.

Her white long dress was the only one that matched the room. The groom, Obi Wan was just aware of this, was already in front of the altar, waiting for his bride. Obi Wan looked at the bride again and thought she was the most beautiful bride he had ever seen. As soon as the notion passed, though, he smiled to himself, as he thought, the groom's the one who is supposed to say that.

One and a half hour later, the priest allowed the groom to kiss his bride. They kissed. Obi Wan looked down and stared at his toe instead. When he looked up again, the newlyweds were still kissing. But then the bride glanced at some direction for a moment, and she pulled away. The hair behind Obi Wan's neck shivered when he sensed the glance.

_Boom_

Screams. Bombs. More screams were heard as a sound of bombing outside exploded in their ears. The rebels drew the laser guns they had been hiding under their shirts, and the groom did too.

"It's the Empire troops, trying to take something out of us again!" one of them yelled.

"No!" shrieked the groom, "it's a sabotage!"

He ran outside, abandoning his wife at the altar. Obi Wan's thought flowed, if what he said is true, then I must help them. I must help him.

I can't let her feel deserted. Again.

Marius ran passing him and Obi Wan grabbed his arm. Something burned his palm when he did that, but he ignored it.

"I want to help," he said, "let me come."

"Ben!" a voice coming from his left shouted, "no!"

Both men turning their heads to Pooja. Her look was of terror, her eyes showed horror, but they were all focused on Obi Wan. Marius turned to Obi Wan again and gave the Jedi the laser weapon in his hand.

"You're Ben?" he said, "she told me so much about you. Follow me!" And in a second, he was lost in the sea of men.

Obi Wan was just about to follow him, but his move was hindered when he felt a touch on his arm.

"Ben, no!" she pleaded, "what if they recognise you? You'll be killed!"

"Don't worry. I won't use my lightsaber."

"But… Ben!" Her voice was sinking behind his ears as he ran outside along with the rebels to the fighting ground. He sighted Marius already in front of the lines. Vigorous, head strong, with a determination in his eyes. Obi Wan instantly knew whom he reminded him of.

---

Night had come and only a few of they who fought that morning were already home. Among them, there was no Marius, no Ben. Pooja contemplated this alone in a suite, Marius's; beautified for their first night. She had sent away her friends and those people saying they wanted to stay with her. She didn't need their company. She had cried in front of them and now she wanted to cry alone. She had tired of people thinking it was for her husband that she cried.

The lamps in the suite were unlit, so she could only see her own shadow, formed by the full moon. It reminded her of the night they buried her aunt; the night she had first met him. And the rumination brought more tears with them.

"Pooja?"

A gentle male voice calling from behind startled her. Not because she was scared of a stranger lurking from darkness, but because she knew whom the man was.

"Ben!" she cried, while running to him. And in a moment, her arms had circled his neck and his were encircling her.

"Ben, I was so afraid you might die!"

"A lot of times I've almost been killed by those Stormtroopers, but the thought of coming back to you saved me,

"Worry not, my love."

"O, say it again, Ben..."

"My love…"

They were in each other's arms again. This time, there was no way they could be apart. They kissed. Passionately and longingly. For they were in love. And they knew they wanted the moment to last, if not forever, then for a night. Just like the two lovers on the balcony, who surrendered to their feelings 13 years ago, they, too, had succumbed to their love. Just like the lovers who had turned against the odd and made their vows 13 years ago, they, too, had made theirs and had been one in each other. They made love, and it was all right, because, just like the lovers kissing on the balcony, they were in love.

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One more to go! 


	6. 6

At last... The last chapter!

I would like to thank all the beautiful people that have read and reviewed this fic, especially Phantom'sJediBandieGirl (your guess is partially right!), Kenobifan (your guess is also partially right :D), and Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi, who have reviewed the previous chapter. Thanks so much, Guys! I really appreciate it! I hope you'll keep liking this chapter. I personally like the end part very much.

I want to aplogise for all the bad grammar and spelling... And, maybe, some cheesy sentences... He He!

Please enjoy!**

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**6**

When Obi Wan woke up that morning, it was with beaming from ear to ear. He turned his head and saw Pooja still slumbering beside him. He had never seen her sleeping. It's true she had stayed for more than once in his hut while visiting Tatooine, but he never was beside her. Obi Wan set his eyes on her and smiled a caressing smile as the result. He had never been so in love before.

He got up and got dressed carefully so as to not wake her. Pooja still didn't open her eyes even when Obi Wan, accidentally, trying so hard to not make a sound, nudged the dresser beside the bed. When he checked on it, to see if he had moved or broken anything, he spotted a tiny round object he wasn't unfamiliar with. It was the object used by the Stormtroopers as a mean of communication. He was so certain he had seen one of them using it yesterday. Now, the question was, what was it doing in this room?

Obi Wan picked it up and learned that it was broken. Maybe Marius was the one who dig it up in one of the battles he had had with the Empire troops. It reminded him that he was yet to tell Pooja that he had lost Marius yesterday. One minute he was on his side, the next minute he was already gone. Fortunately, the rebels had already won and there was no Stormtrooper left when Obi Wan came home to Pooja. Still, Marius was nowhere to be found.

A feeling of uneasiness caused by his Force had grown suddenly, and he couldn't stop it from unfolding itself. He knew how to fix the object; he had to fix it, then. It was the only way to know. He tangled the extra thin cables, untangled the others, and then, it was fixed.

A sound coming all of a sudden from it was indistinct at first. He walked away from the bedroom, not wanting to wake Pooja up. At least, not now. The signal was getting clearer as he stepped in to the living room. Clearer, clearer, and then… "Hello?"

No reply at first, but…

"Sir Marius, Sir Marius. We're heading back now. Good luck with your predicaments with the Emperor."

"Oh my goodness!"

"Ben?"

The sound of Pooja calling his name shocked him even more. He turned around and met her walking towards him.

"Ben, are you all right? You seem pale…"

As she trotted closer and closer, his minds were blurred abruptly. The object he held in his hand wheeled his memory back to some day, 10 years ago. The day he returned Padme's warm welcome with news so worst, it consumed her will to live. And the place he was now in was no longer the suite he yesterday went into, the place was also an apartment in Coruscant; Padme's apartment. The woman he loved stroking his sweating forehead; she wasn't just Pooja now, she was also Padme. And the bad memory swirled around in him and forced him to begin,

_Padme…_

"Pooja…"

_When was the last time you saw Anakin?_

"Do you know where Marius is now?"

"I know he has a place he usually uses for hiding. Why?"

_Padme, I think he's turned to the dark side._

"Pooja, I think he has worked together with the Empire."

The reaction was the same. Pooja, too stunned to say anything, shook his head in disbelief. "No," she finally said, "no! You must be wrong!"

_I have seen the hologram of him killing younglings._

"I found this in the bedroom. One of the Stormtroopers answered my call and mistook me as 'Sir Marius.'"

"I don't believe you! He's my best friend! I've known him since forever!"

"You believe in him more than you believe in me?"

"Don't say that… It's just that… I can't believe it…"

_Padme, I need to know where he is._

"Pooja, I need you to tell me where is this place you mentioned."

"I can't. Until I know the truth, I can't."

Obi Wan walked away from her. Never he imagined for being the one who said it, but he did tell this to himself, "Maybe a Jedi shouldn't fall in love." He exited the room, but before he did, the recollection of the same event that took place 10 years ago still lingered.

_I'm so sorry._

"I'm so sorry."

---

After Obi Wan left, Pooja got dressed properly and ran to the man whose presence was all over her mind that morning; Marius. She knew where he and his friends always gathered for the meetings. The place was difficult to reach for someone who had only been there once, but Pooja was able to trudge along the rough roads with eyes closed if she wanted to.

The cave, that's what they called it, was uncommonly empty. A battle just occurred last night, maybe the rebels are in their houses, remedying their wounds, she thought. She turned right, and there he was. She called, "Marius?"

"Pooja?" his face showed astonishment, "what are you doing here?"

"I come to see if you're all right. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am. Pooja, you shouldn't be here. Why don't you…"

"What did they want? The Stormtroopers?"

"What else but taking our resources again?"

"But you said something about sabotaging."

"Did I? You must have misheard me. Look, just go home, okay? I will catch up…"

"The thing the Stormtroopers use for communicating was in your suite. What was it doing there?"

"I… I found it at the last battle."

"Then why did they call you 'Sir'?"

Marius didn't react. He turned around and Pooja could only see his back. Yet, when he pivoted back, Pooja could've sworn his eyeballs had changed their colours to red.

"That's because they and I are serving the Emperor together."

She gasped, "I don't believe it! Ben was right. You're evil!"

"Oh, when you realise how powerful the Emperor is, you will change your mind. Seeking power is not evil, Pooja."

"I can't believe it. You're my best friend! My grandfather used to treat you like his only grandson."

"Why do you think I want to marry you, Pooja! So I can stay close to you! The last of the Naberries. The Emperor sent me to watch closely on you, Senator Padme Amidala's little niece. To see if she and your grandparents had given you any notion about 'Old Republic' before they died. By the look of it, I think they had,

"I don't think it's the only reason the Emperor wanted you, but I'll find it out, sooner or later,

"Or maybe it's your book. I know what you have been doing, brainwashing the people with that damn book of yours!

"It was quite a long way luring you to my trap. The Emperor almost lost his faith in me. He sent troops to our wedding. But when I ran from the battle and assured him the wedding was only an act to trick you, he knew he could still trust me. It's a good thing you fell in love quickly."

You're wrong, she thought. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. She wanted to shout it out, "You're wrong." But another voice was echoing from behind her, speaking her mind all aloud,

"You're wrong!"

She turned around and saw Obi Wan walking towards them. She stared disbelievingly at him, part of her wanted to sigh a relief, while the other part asked him in silence, "You're using me as a bait?"

The same question asked by Padme's eyes when she saw him at Mustafar.

Obi Wan avoided the eyes and, drawing his lightsaber he hadn't used for more than 10 years, he deeply spoke, "Surrender now, Marius. You know you have nowhere to go. Look around you! You will only find dead ends!"

He wasn't lying. The cave's only way in was also its only way out. It wasn't exactly spacious, either. It was barely fit for the three of them.

"What is this?" sneered Marius, mockingly, "A Jedi? Still alive? The Emperor will grant me everything I wish if I can capture you!"

Pooja would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. Marius was hallucinating! Obi Wan was far beyond him; he could never capture a Jedi like him. But then, she realised that she was merely inches away from her husband. And for the first time since she entered the cave, she noticed the knife in his belt. Before she could even blink, Marius had pulled her to him and the only thing she was conscious of was the cold knife readied to cut off her neck.

"Surrender now! Or she dies!" Marius's voice hurt her ears, but what happened before her hurt her eyes even more. Obi Wan, his face turned numb, lowered his lightsaber, and with a tone that almost sounded like begging, he said, "Please, don't…"

Oh, she didn't have the heart to see him taken to and tortured by the Emperor. She had seen the Emperor murdered her family, and now he wasn't going to get the man he loved. Her hatred to her husband, holding the knife trying to end her life, entwined with her desire to see Obi Wan walking out of the cave alive. She understood what had to be done.

To the man behind her back, she moved her lips so close to his ears that Obi Wan could never hear her words.

She whispered, "You're wrong. You're wrong about everything. You think you can capture Ben and send him to the Emperor, you're wrong. You're a weak man, who can't even protect himself and seek it from a tyrant,

"And you're wrong. I never love you. I've always loved Ben. I only want to marry you, because I pity a weak man like you,

"I love Ben."

His response was what she wished for. Furious, Marius shouted to the entire cave, dusts falling all over. She gasped as she sensed the cold blade pierced her inside and red blood coming out of her. She heard someone shrieked, "NO!" and knew that it was her lover's voice. The knife dropped with a cling as she herself fell down to the surface. The response was always what she wanted: Obi Wan, with anger and loath in his eyes, stepped forward and stabbed his lightsaber into Marius. The lightsaber was much more powerful than the knife, of course, and Marius died in a second.

She felt –it was so hard for her to see now- Obi Wan's arm behind her neck. She leaned to it and tilted her head up; she needed to tell him some things before she died. He spoke of nothing. Only sobs were heard.

"At last," she softly said, "at last, the history is not repeating itself,

"I die happy for it is in my lover's arms I breathed for the last time."

"Pooja, I love you."

"Joy…"

And then, she died.

---

His tears blurred his way out. His sobs woke the rebels sleeping in houses nearby, who after seeing Obi Wan's lightsaber and the communicator lying beside Marius's body, finally recognised the truth. His feet hurt from the weight he had to bear; Pooja's lifeless body in his arms.

But nothing could compare to his heartache. Nothing could remedy the pain he had to take. Nothing could heal him from the broken heart he had to feel.

For the only woman he ever loved, had died.

---

Obi Wan sat on the hill overlooking the hut below. Not his, but the boy's and his uncle and aunt's. Return, finally. Return to Tatooine, return to his own hut, return to his loneliness.

The funeral for Pooja was just held yesterday. No friend of her knew what exactly happened between both of them. The worst thing of it was that he couldn't give Pooja a kiss goodbye before the coffin was closed for eternity.

Luke came out of his house, running around and playing with his uncle's droid. He couldn't believe it had been 10 years since her mother passed away, and he was born. 10 years… When he turns 20, Obi Wan thought, yes, when he turns 20, it will be the best time for them to end the Empire, and for him to end… Life.

Her book; Pooja's book was in his hand. He remembered the message behind it: If you held on to the memory of your love, you'd never let them who destroyed your love, win and triumph. Then, for the first time, he decided to keep the heartache he still felt, he knew he would always feel, forever.

He sat there, tired. Tired of feeling the planet move under his feet, without him being able to stop it. Tired of seeing all the people he loved lost one by one: Qui Gon, Anakin, Padme, Yoda, and … he couldn't even spell her name. He was tired of life. Tired of seeing history repeating itself.

He sat there. Thousands and thousands meters below, the boy ran around here and there with no certain point to after. The time would come when he wouldn't have to be tired anymore. Forever.

Ah, he thought, thank god it's only 10 years to go.

The End

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